NYWIFT Blog

Curtain Raiser: 2025 Tribeca Festival Ushers in a Powerful Celebration of Storytelling

By Tammy Reese 

It’s that time again! The Tribeca Festival returns to New York City from June 4–15, 2025, bringing together visionaries, changemakers, and creatives across film, television, immersive experiences, games, audio storytelling, and more.

Covering this prestigious festival is always an honor, and this year, I’m thrilled to return on behalf of New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) alongside my long-time media partner and fellow NYWIFT member, LaKisa Renee.

A huge congratulations to all of our fellow NYWIFT members with projects featured in this year’s lineup. Your brilliance continues to inspire and elevate the art of storytelling. Learn more here: https://www.nywift.org/nywift-tribeca-2025/

Stay tuned — we’ll be bringing exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes content, red carpet snapshots, and insight into the premieres and panels that everyone will be talking about.

Must-See Screenings I Previewed and Highly Recommend:

New York Day Women (Short Film)

New York Day Women follows a Haitian American woman who unexpectedly sees her mother in Manhattan during a workday — sparking an intimate exploration of identity, generational distance, and maternal strength. The film is directed, written, produced, and edited by NYWIFT Member Fredgy Noël

Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything (Spotlight Documentary)

This gripping documentary charts the groundbreaking journey of 1997 NYWIFT Muse Honoree Barbara Walters, the first woman to break into network evening news and redefine journalism for generations to come. From her early days on The Today Show to co-creating The View, Walters shattered glass ceilings with poise, intellect and relentless curiosity.

Known for her fearless interviews with world leaders, celebrities and controversial figures, Walters redefined broadcast journalism with her unique blend of empathy and tenacity that had millions of people watching. NYWIFT Member Marcella Steingart is a producer of the film.

For Venida, For Kalief (Documentary Competition)

Kalief Browder’s tale comes into full focus when his life and his mother’s, Venida Brodnax Browder, are tragically upended following years of malintent from the justice system.

This is not a retelling of Kalief’s case. Instead, Venida’s poems anchor a temporal odyssey as they are weaved through archival discovery and contemporary political movements to honor the Browders’ legacy within their community and beyond. The piece reveals how an individual’s life — and afterlife — can transcend boundaries to ignite social and cultural change once thought unattainable.

NYWIFT Member Mattie Akers is an Archival Producer of the film. 

Watch Over Us (Shorts)

Watch Over Us is an unflinching, intimate documentary about Victoria Lopez, a Minnesota mother granted one year with her newborn twins before serving seven years in prison on drug charges.

I Was Born This Way (Spotlight Documentary)

Surviving childhood abuse during his upbringing in Baltimore, Archbishop Carl Bean forged a path to New York and Hollywood to do the one thing he knew he was put on earth to do: sing. Making his mark first as a gospel singer, Bean got the break of his life when Motown tapped him in 1977 to record the disco song “I Was Born This Way,” which quickly became the first gay anthem at a time when it was uncommon to be out and proud. When the AIDS crisis hit, however, Bean soon found himself drawn to a different calling: compassionate activism. Instead of pursuing the momentum of his promising music career, he founded the Minority AIDS Project and the Unity Fellowship Church — the first LGBTQ+ church for people of color.

 

YANUNI (Closing Night Gala)

This deeply moving documentary is a call to action and a tribute to resilience and legacy. It is the story of Juma Xipaia, Brazil’s first female Indigenous chief, and her fight to protect her people and land.

What to Expect at This Year’s Festival:

  • World-class premieres of feature films, shorts, and documentaries.
  • Tribeca NOW: independent episodic work across narrative and documentary forms.
  • Television premieres with cast and creator panels.
  • Immersive storytelling at its best with In Search of Us — a bold exhibition in partnership with Onassis ONX and Agog.
  • Audio storytelling that moves the needle with originality and depth.
  • Tribeca Games Gallery: Play demos of the latest selections at Pier 57 (June 11–15).
  • Tribeca X (June 9–10): Where brands and entertainment converge, fostering innovation in storytelling.

Founded in 2002 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff, the Tribeca Festival remains a beacon for diverse, daring, and socially resonant storytelling that moves culture forward.

Let the 2025 festival begin!

 

Learn more about the 2025 Tribeca Festival here: https://www.tribecafilm.com/

PUBLISHED BY

Tammy Reese

Tammy Reese Tammy Reese is CEO of Visionary Minds PR & Media, and a New York award winning Actress, Writer, and Journalist.

View all posts by Tammy Reese

Comments are closed

Related Posts

Maria Miles Previews the 2025 New York Greek Film Expo

As former NYWIFT Board Member Maria C. Miles finishes up her first year as President of the Hellenic Film Society, we sat down with her on the eve of the New York Greek Film Expo to discuss her time with the organization and what we have to look forward to at this year’s fest. Mary is the founder of an entertainment law practice with offices in New York. Maria’s practice focuses on all areas of entertainment law, including film (narrative and documentary), music, literary publishing, and digital media. She has represented award-winning producers, directors, writers, actors, television hosts, multi-platinum recording artists, and corporations in the fashion and sports industries related to their entertainment matters. Maria is the Executive Director of the Hellenic Films Society, USA, and served as Secretary of the board of New York Women in Film & Television. She continues to serve NYWIFT as their legal counsel. She is also an Adjunct Professor at the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema and the School for Visual Arts, as well as an Adjunct Instructor at NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

READ MORE

Meet The NYWIFT Member: MéLisa Best

Welcome to NYWIFT, MéLisa Best! MéLisa is an award-winning producer and director creating culturally rooted, visually rich narratives across film, branded content, and immersive media. She is the founder of HAUS of Infinity Studios, a boutique creative production house and visionary agency that provides branded content and immersive storytelling experiences that center culture, clarity, and creative truth. The HAUS is an extension of herself, guided by abundance, alignment, and possibility, with a unique "yes, and" approach that builds worlds where story isn't separate from impact. MéLisa told us about her journey in filmmaking, her vision for creating culturally rooted narratives, her work with Black Women Euphoria, and her exciting upcoming television pilot project.

READ MORE

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Amy Heller

Welcome to NYWIFT, Amy Heller! Amy is the co-founder of Milestone Films, an award-winning film restoration and distribution company dedicated to rediscovering lost and overlooked films. After fleeing academia, Amy found her passion in the independent film world and co-founded Milestone with her partner Dennis Doros in 1990. For 35 years, their mission has been to restore forgotten cinema, particularly films by and about women, people of color, Native Americans, and LGBTQ+ community members. Amy spoke to us about her journey in film distribution, the evolution of the industry over four decades, and her exciting upcoming transition as she passes Milestone to the next generation.

READ MORE

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Courtney DeStefano

Welcome to NYWIFT, Courtney DeStefano! Courtney grew up in a small town, where she spent hours devouring old movies and pouring through every indie-film magazine she could get her hands on. She graduated with a BFA in Film & Television from NYU Tisch School of the Arts before embarking on her editing career where she worked with clients like CBS, Bravo, Showtime, BET, NatGeo, Discovery & TLC. She’s spent the last several years dividing her time between chasing after her three young sons and hiding in her home office to write. Her work has been recognized by the Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards, PANO Network, Hollyshorts and the PAGE Awards, among others. In our interview, Courtney discussed her small-town inspirations, how editing informs her writing and directing, and her latest short film.   

READ MORE
JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER
css.php